


When I'm Gone

by orphan_account



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: Canon Divergence, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Out of Body Experiences, Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-20 22:45:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3667998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set directly after the 4/2/2015 episode. Will is taken by Clyde, who wants revenge on both Kate and Victor, and is tortured. Sonny was with Paul the entire time. Now anyone who has fought with Will is a suspect, including Sonny. Can the residents of Salem be proven innocent or will Clyde reveal himself before they have to? And can they get Will back before he runs out of time?</p><p>Can Sonny put the pieces back together when they do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"She's planning on dumping you," Jeremiah said simply, "She was tellin' one of her friends."

Clyde narrowed his eyes then nodded, "Fine...she's leavin' me, I want something in return," he said simply, "And it'll keep Mr. Kiriakis in line as well."

"And what would that be?" Jeremiah asked.

"Kate's grandson," Clyde said simply, pulling up the picture on his phone from the article and zooming in on it, "He's married to Victor's nephew."

"Do you want me to...?" Jeremiah asked.

"No," Clyde said simply, "Not yet at least. Depends on if we get what we want."

* * *

Will sighed as his grandmother walked out on him for the second time today. He was wrong...Paul had been John's son and not a DiMera. He didn't see what the big deal was now. He deleted it. 

Will ran his hands through his hair and decided to go back to the fundraiser. He would say he could get his mind off of Paul and Sonny...but that wouldn't exactly work, would it? 

Will shook his head and got up, grabbing his bag. He didn't know why Sonny and Paul just didn't do it...he didn't know why Sonny hadn't left him either. Then again, he'd been wondering that since the beginning of their entire relationship.

He turned around and froze when he saw a man standing there. He looked at him suspiciously since he wasn't moving...he was just staring at him. 

Will smiled politely, "Um...I'm going that way...excuse me," he said awkwardly, going to walk out.

The man grabbed him from behind the minute he turned his back. Will tried to hold his breath as the man put a cloth over his mouth, but he could only hold it for so long as he struggled to get away from the man. Eventually, he stopped struggling and inhaled. He felt his body go weak before everything went black. 

* * *

"I'd like to make a toast-" John started then looked around, "Okay, where did Will go now?"

"He was probably too embarrassed to show his face," a man stepped up suddenly along with a camera man, "Considering he cheated on his own husband." 

Silence fell over the crowd. 

Sonny narrowed his eyes, "Look, I don't know who the hell you are, but I want you out of here. Now." 

"But you don't deny it?" the man asked, "Your husband, he slept with Paul Narita." 

More silence.

"Will wouldn't do that," Chad spoke up suddenly, coming to stand beside Sonny, "And I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"And who the hell are you to try to make me?" the man laughed.

"My name is Chad DiMera," he said, putting an emphasis on his last name, "And we also have Rafe Hernandez, who is the uncle of his child; Roman Brady, his grandfather; and John Black, his step-grandfather. All who are members of the Salem Police Department," Chad smirked and put his arm around Sonny, "And this here is his loving husband...Sonny _Kiriakis_." 

The man froze up.

"I really think you should leave," Paul spoke up, "All Will Horton ever did was write an article about me...he never slept with me," he said confidently, "He's happily married." 

The man turned around and walked out quickly.

"Thanks," Sonny said under his breath. 

Paul nodded slightly so no one else would see him. 

"Okay, now that that's over with," John clapped his hands, "I want to make a toast, if someone can find Will."

"I just talked to him, I'll go find him," Marlena said.

"I'll come with you," Sonny followed her. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sonny spoke up. 

"Who was their source?" Sonny hissed, "How could they know that? We're trying to work this out-"

"You aren't doing very well at working it out by spending time with someone you proposed to," Marlena snapped at him, "Not with the way you look at him. You're both doing something wrong."

Sonny froze up. "

Let's go find Will," Marlena said simply. They walked into the park and looked around, "I left him right here. He said he would be back to the fundraiser in a few minutes-"

"His bag," Sonny said quickly. He ran over and found Will's bag. He searched through it and found Will's phone, "He doesn't go anywhere without this...ever." 

Marlena looked confused when she saw a rag on the ground. 

"That better not be what I think it is," Sonny whispered, picking it up.

"Sonny, drop it," Marlena said quickly, "Put down the phone and don't touch anything. We're calling the police." 

"Why?" Sonny asked quickly. 

"I think Will's been taken," Marlena said.

* * *

"And when was the last time you saw him?" Roman asked, writing things down. 

"I...right before he walked down with Marlena," Sonny swallowed, crossing his arms. 

"And have you and Will been having any problems?" Roman asked. 

Sonny narrowed his eyes, "What the hell are you saying?" he snapped.

"I have to cover all the bases, Sonny, I'm not accusing you of anything," Roman said simply. 

Sonny gritted his teeth, "We've been having problems since he went to LA," he made eye contact with Rafe, "But nothing we can't handle. I wouldn't do anything to him...that's insane." 

Roman just nodded, "I need to go talk to Marlena now...don't leave town."

"MY HUSBAND IS MISSING, WHY WOULD I LEAVE TOWN?!" Sonny screamed.

"Okay, buddy, take a step back," Chad said quickly, "Deep breaths."

"Do you know what he just accused me of?!" Sonny demanded, "You know what he just accused me of, Chad! He thinks I would hurt Will." 

"He doesn't think that," Chad told him, "It's protocol. All of us know you would never hurt Will." 

"What's going on?" Lucas ran in with Adrienne. 

"Will's gone," Sonny said, "His bag and his phone are here-" 

"Chloroform on the rag," Rafe called. 

"Damn it!" Sonny yelled, running his hands through his hair and resting them on the back of his neck as he took deep breaths.

"They think I'm a suspect, mom," Sonny told her, "They actually think I would hurt him," he hissed, "No matter what he's done, I would never hurt him!" 

"Who else has interacted with Will recently?" Roman called, getting everyone's attention.

"All of us," Abigail spoke up, "That's why we're here...this is his anniversary party, Roman." 

"Well, then," Roman said, "I'm going to have to ask all of you to come down to the station for formal interviews."

"Why are we doing interviews when we should be looking for him?" Paul demanded before Sonny could.

Sonny stared at him in shock. 

"If we do the interviews, maybe we can get a better picture of where he is," Roman said, "Let's go."

* * *

"Honestly, I haven't talked to him since he put my name in the article," Abigail said simply, "We're just not on a good page- hey, what are you writing? I want a lawyer." 

* * *

"Sure, Sonny is having problems with Will," Adrienne said, "And I was angry...I even slapped him, but that was it. I would never hurt him-" 

Hope wrote something down. 

"I'm calling my husband," Adrienne said quickly. 

* * *

"Will and I fought about his newest article," Lucas told them, "But he's my son. I want the bastard who took him found and I want my son back safe." 

"Okay," Hope nodded, writing down.

"Do I need a lawyer?" Lucas asked.

* * *

"After Will found out that Sonny and I were together, we...stopped being friends," Paul said, "But that doesn't mean I would hurt him." 

"Are you sure about that?" Hope asked. 

Paul narrowed his eyes, "I want a lawyer."

* * *

Sonny crossed his arms as he sat across from Hope.

"Sonny," Hope said, "In this situation, I wouldn't say you should remain silent. It's your choice, but you're just making yourself seem more guilty."

Sonny gritted his teeth, "He is my husband," he hissed.

"Do you want a lawyer?" Hope asked. 

"I DON'T WANT A LAWYER BECAUSE I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Sonny yelled.

* * *

Will woke up in a dark place. He blinked a few times, trying to focus on where he was. All he knew was that he was cold and tied to what felt like a chair. He winced when he tried to move and the rope dug into his wrists. 

Suddenly, the lights were turned on and he was in a small warehouse. 

He took a shaky breath when he saw Clyde by the door, "You," he said, "What the hell is the matter with you?!" he screamed. 

"Just taking out a little revenge," Clyde said, "See, you're the only connection around Salem. You're married to Victor Kiriakis' nephew-" 

"Grandnephew," Will corrected. 

Clyde gave him an _are you kidding me?_ look and Will went silent.

"-and you're Kate's grandson," Clyde said, "As much as I liked your grandma, she seems to want to leave me," he walked over, "Now I have a little leverage." 

Will swallowed nervously, "Look...I don't know what you want from me-"

"LEVERAGE!" Clyde yelled, "Are you stupid? I just said it." 

Will swallowed, "Please, I have a daughter...I-I need to get home-" 

"If you don't shut you mouth," Clyde grabbed him roughly by his chin and made him look at him, "Something will happen to that little girl of yours...and that husband...then everyone else you love." 

"You don't have any information further than that-" Will was cut off when Clyde punched him.

"I figured you were smart enough to shut your damn mouth that I wouldn't need that!" Clyde yelled. 

Will winced, closing his eyes tightly. 

"Now," Clyde said, "We're going to send a little message to Mr. Kiriakis about doublecrossing...and a little message to your grandma about what happens when someone leaves me." 

Will swallowed nervously as another man walked in. 

"And if you don't cooperate," Clyde said, "I'll go and get that little girl of yours, got it?"

Will stayed silent. 

Clyde hit him in the stomach and Will gasped in pain.

"I got it!" Will yelled, closing his eyes tightly in pain.

_Anything to keep them safe,_ Will thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

"I feel so helpless," Sonny whispered, sitting beside Marlena, "I can't...call, I don't know where he is, or what's happening to him," he choked out, "I...I can't live without him, I just can't."

Paul sat across the room, listening to him talk.

"Do you think we should call Sami?" Lucas asked suddenly.

"No," Sonny shook his head, "Just...wait. Give it time, he'll show up. They'll find him, I know it. He'll be perfectly fine-"

"You're going to want to see this," Hope told Roman.

Roman walked over to the computer where Hope had her email pulled up. There was a video in it and she hit play.

"What's going on?" Sonny asked, walking over with Lucas and Marlena, "Oh my god," he whispered.

_Will was tied to a chair...surprisingly he didn't look scared, just angry and annoyed. He looked like the minute he was out of the chair he was going to punch someone._

_"Now," Clyde said, coming on the camera, "Since I have your attention. I have a few demands," he said._

"That son of a bitch," Sonny gritted his teeth, "That's Ben's dad, I've met him. He's dating Kate."

Hope held up her hand to make him go silent.

_"I want Kate Roberts to watch this video and see what she did to her grandson," he smirked, "This is her fault, she left me."_

"He's insane," Lucas said under his breath.

_"Second," Clyde said, "I want Titan Trucking Industry to leave town. I want it in writing. You let Mr. Kiriakis know that," he smirked, "And third? I want one million dollars from Victor Kiriakis by midnight tonight."_

"Call Victor," Hope said quickly.

_"And if I don't get what I want," Clyde said, "I may walk out for a while. I'll leave one of my men here and let him do whatever he wants. And a little hint...he ain't going to kill him, but it's a lot worse than death."_

_Will swallowed, looking away._

_"Any words you want to say?" Clyde looked back at Will._

_Will stayed silent, gritting his teeth._

_"We'll be in touch," Clyde said and the camera went dark._

* * *

Sonny stared at Victor's face as he watched the video, "Well?" he asked, "You're giving him the money, right?" he asked.

"Sonny, I can't get the money that fast," Victor shook his head, "It's ten o'clock...even if I was able to get him the money, who knows if he'd let him go." 

"SO YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LET THAT FREAK DO WHATEVER HE WANTS TO HIM?!" Sonny screamed, "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO COUNT ON YOU!" 

"Sonny, you need to calm down-" Adrienne started. 

"NO!" Sonny yelled, "I want him to _say it_ ," he hissed, "I want him to say he can't do anything...that my husband is going to be broken because of him," he choked out, "You know what that guy is going to do. All of you do," he said, walking out quickly. 

"Sonny-" Paul started to go after him.

"Sit down," John snapped. 

Paul glared at him before slowly sitting down. 

* * *

Sonny walked outside, breathing heavily. He didn't know what to do. He felt completely helpless; he'd only felt this a few times. He was always able to do something and if he couldn't, his family could do something. 

Sonny punched the wall and gasped in pain as soon as he made the mistake.

"Sonny!" Adrienne ran out quickly, "You need to calm down."

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT?!" Sonny yelled, "I know we've been a mess...and that he's made mistakes. But I have too. Just because I'm angry doesn't mean I want..." he trailed off before he felt the tears overflow and go down his face, leaving tear tracks behind them.

"I can't...I'm so sorry, sweetie," Adrienne hugged him. 

"I love him," Sonny practically whimpered, "I love him, I want him back. Mom, please don't let them hurt him." 

Adrienne just rubbed her son's back as he continued to cry.

 

* * *

Sonny was completely exhausted from crying now. He couldn't cry anymore, he was all out of tears. 

Adrienne was sitting beside him, holding his hand as he stared at the clock, trying to make it go slower as the last minute helplessly ticked away. 

Sonny watched as the clock hit 11:59 and he closed his eyes for a moment. Part of him didn't want to watch, but the other part did. He was hoping that somehow Will would walk through those doors right now, saying that Clyde let him go free. 

But he knew he wouldn't.

"Excuse us," a voice with a thick accent said, "We're looking for Victor Kiriakis."

"Damon, Neil, right here," Victor stood up slowly, using his cane, "I need you to trace a call for me."

"When?" one of them asked. 

Sonny didn't even bother to look over. 

"In forty five seconds," Victor said.

They seemed so calm about it.

"Which one?" the one with the accent asked. 

"That one," Victor pointed.

"Excuse me, ma'am," one of them told Hope. 

Sonny finally looked over and saw a man ducked down under the desk and another, large man who wore black clothes waiting.

"You can't just-" Hope started.

"Miss, we appreciate what you do," Neil stood up, "But we're a little faster."

"Neil?" Sonny asked in shock. 

"Oh, hey, Sonny," Neil waved at him, a grin on his face. He looked different than he did a few years ago. He was in all black, maybe even had bigger muscles now. He had that same mischievous look on his face...but now he had a darker look in his eyes.

Sonny knew in that moment he was working for his uncle.

"Pay attention," the man with the accent snapped at him, "And don't act so happy all the time."

"Right," Neil put his head phones on and opened his laptop, typing away on it. 

Sonny looked up and the clock hit midnight and he closed his eyes tightly. The shock of seeing Neil was gone. He didn't even care about him right now. His mind was on Will, the things that they could be doing- 

The phone rang and he jumped, tensing up. 

Adrienne rubbed his hand, trying to calm him down.

Neil held up a finger and then nodded to the other man, who must have been named Damon since Victor greeted them. 

"Salem Police Department, how can I help you?" Damon answered.

_"I want to speak to Victor Kiriakis and Kate Roberts,"_ Clyde said over the line. 

Damon looked up at Victor and he walked over slowly. 

"I'm here," Victor told him. 

_"Where's Kate?"_ Clyde demanded. 

"Out of town," Victor said, "We tried to contact her, but you seem to have ran her out-"

"UNCLE VIC!" Sonny yelled. 

_"Oh, is that your grandnephew?"_ Clyde asked, _"Well, I'd love him to hear all of this...all of the pain you're about to cause his husband."_

Everyone was listening around the phone now.

_"If you transfer the money to my account right now, I'll call off my man,"_ Clyde said simply.

Sonny stared at him with pleading eyes. 

Victor stared at him for a moment before looking back at the phone, unable to keep eye contact with him, "I'm sorry...but there's no way to get the money that fast." 

_"Well then,"_ Clyde said simply, _"Time is up for Will here. I made my man promise not to kill him. Then again, there are some thing worse than death, ain't there?" he asked, "Anything you want to say?"_

Will's voice came over the line and he was breathing in and out in shaky breaths. He sounded afraid now. Not like on the video...he looked strong on the video. He knew there was hope then and it was all gone now. 

_"Sonny...I'm sorry...for everything,"_ Will choked out, _"I love you so much..."_ he heard him take a deep breath, _"Tell Ari I love her..."_

There was silence for a moment. 

_"And I'm so glad to have been a part of your family, Victor,"_ Will whispered, _"So I'm telling you this...I don't want you to give him a **fucking** **cent**. Don't-"_

He was cut off and then there was the sound of movement and a yell, Sonny knew it was from Will. 

He heard a muffled scream and a man yell out in pain.

_"YOU BITCH!"_ a man yelled and then there was a slap before more screaming and the line went dead.

The minute he heard the scream, Sonny's world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone asked for footnotes on what's been going on outside of the Will and Sonny storyline because they only watch their parts (which is completely understandable). Basically, Sonny's Uncle Victor owns the trucking company in town and Clyde tried to move in on his turf. It caused fighting and the usual feuds until it escalated and Sonny was stabbed because of it. Now Victor gave over business but the inevitable blindside is coming and this fic is with the mindset that Clyde things Victor will blindside him. Kate is dating Clyde and in this fic, Jeremiah thought he heard her say he was leaving him. Crazy with anger, that is why Clyde has taken Will, to get revenge.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING!: Graphic attempted rape and violence in this scene, along with a murder (but no one really cares about this guy...actually, you'll probably be happy he's dead).

"Oh my god," Adrienne ran over to Sonny.

Sonny blinked a few times, "What happened?"

"I...I think you blacked out for a second," Paul suggested meekly, "Probably from the shock and stress."

"Sonny, maybe you should go home and-" Lucas started.

"I'm fine!" Sonny stood up quickly, ignoring the slight diziness he felt because of how quickly he moved, "I'm...fine. I'm not going anywhere until I know that Will is okay-"

"Aaaaand tracked!" Neil said.

Damon gritted his teeth, "Act more serious," he said, obvious annoyed.

"Where are they?" Hope demanded instantly.

Neil and Damon both looked to Victor.

"Your decision," Victor said simply.

"We're taking care of this," Damon said simply, "If you can find the location on your own, you can go for it. But we're faster and we have better judgement than you."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Sonny stood up, "My husband has been taken and they're the cops. They have to go and help him."

"Sonny," Neil walked over, "We're going to help him..." he whispered, "If they find Clyde, they'll arrest him and he'll get out. If we find him-"

"Ah!" Damon snapped his fingers like he was scolding a dog, "Don't say stuff like that, it could get you implicated. Let's go, Neil. Now."

Neil smiled nervously at Sonny before following.

"Track the location," Hope was talking to the other officers already.

Sonny swallowed, sitting down slowly. He looked at Victor, taking deep breaths, "Neil was my friend once. How did he start working for you?"

"His brother started working for me and wanted him safe," Victor said simply, "He taught him how to use a gun and wanted to make a living out of it. Sometimes you'll go to great lengths to protect the people you love."

Sonny stared at him before sighing, "I...need some air," he told them before walking out. He ran out quickly and got in his car, watching as Neil and Damon's car pulled out.

He decided to follow them.

* * *

"Stop squirming," the man smirked, pinning Will down on the dirty mattress, "What the matter, baby? Don't want round two?"

"I'll fucking kill you," Will gritted his teeth, trying to shove the man off of him, "I'm going to fucking kill you!" he yelled at him. 

"I think you should just shut that fucking pretty mouth of yours," the man smirked, grabbing the duct tape and putting it over his mouth. 

Will felt tears coming from his eyes. He had never been put through so much pain _so fast_. He felt violated...and he was in so much pain. The man was rough and every time he fought back, he hit him or kicked him somewhere else. It was getting hard to breathe and Will couldn't tell if it was a panic attack or something wrong with his lungs.

Will rolled on his back and kicked the man in the face. 

"You're going to pay for that," he growled, grabbing his hips tightly and pulling him closer. 

Will stared at him, letting out a sob behind the tape over his mouth. All he wanted was his husband. He just wanted to look at him again...to love him. He wanted to be with him where he was safe. Sonny made him feel safe. 

"Time for you to pay," the man smirked, wrapping his hands around his throat, "I told you not to fight back and to keep that fucking mouth shut. Not. A. Word."

Will cried out, trying to yell for help as he struggled to breathe. 

There was a gun shot and the grip was suddenly released on his neck. He breathed heavily through his nose, despite how much it hurt to do so. He just wanted the oxygen again. 

Will froze in shock when he saw a bullet in a man's head before he fell right on top of him.

"Shit," he heard a slightly familiar voice whisper. 

Will looked up and saw a man he didn't recognize run over with...Neil? 

"Will, hey, it's okay," Neil gently pulled off the tape, "Damon, get me his clothes," he pointed across the room, "Are those yours?" 

Will nodded slowly, unable to move. 

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry," Neil pushed the man off of him. 

Will gasped when the man's lifeless body fell to the ground with a thud. 

"Here, I got them," Damon said, throwing the clothes at Neil. 

Neil went to start helping him get dressed and Will jumped back in shock. 

"Will, do you remember me?" Neil asked quietly. 

Will nodded slowly, "Neil," he smiled slightly then winced. 

"Yeah, be careful there," Neil told him, "You have a split lip." 

Will swallowed, looking down. 

"Will, the ambulance will be here in a moment, my brother is calling," Neil told him, "I-I know...what you're going through right now...it's excruciating. I know you're in pain but I know that you're feeling humilated. Putting on clothes will make it feel better...at least your boxers and shirt, okay? Can you do that for me?" 

"Okay," Will choked out. He went to move and cried out in pain. 

"Slowly, slowly," Neil said quickly, "Here, just put your arms up a little and I'll do the rest." 

"Okay," Will repeated, letting Neil take care of him. He glanced over at him every now and then. He suddenly gasped in pain, holding his side and his vision started to get fuzzy. 

"Will?" Neil asked quickly, "Will, what's wrong? Tell me where..."

Neil's voice got further and further away until his vision went black. 

"Will?!" Sonny ran in. 

"Sonny!" Damon snapped, "What are you doing here?!" he yelled. 

"What's the matter with him?" Sonny ran over, "Why isn't he moving?" 

"He was alive when I got here," Neil said, checking his pulse, "He's still alive...he's not moving-" 

Before he could finish, the EMTs rushed in, pushing them both back. 

* * *

Sonny watched as they loaded Will into the back of the ambulance, tears going down his face. 

"I have to go with him," Sonny said quickly, "I'm his husband, I have to. Please-" 

"Come on," the EMT said quickly, "Don't expect a response from him, but you can ride with us." 

Sonny got in quickly, "Tell Uncle Vic I'm at the hospital with him," he told Damon and Neil. 

"We have an errand to take care of first, but we'll call," Damon said simply, nodding to him. 

Sonny quickly turned back to Will, looking at his husband. There was blood on half of his face and coming from his nose. Finger shaped red marks were around his neck.

"He's having an allergic reaction," the EMT was telling the other, "Take his shirt off, we need to see if he was injected with anything or forced to take something orally." 

The man got Will's shirt off slowly and threw it out of the way, checking over his wrists as the other took Will's vitals. 

"Pulse is slow, but it's there," she reported, "Concussion, possible broken nose," he listed off. 

"Injection point," the man said quickly, finding a place on Will's arm, "I want the police to check the scene for any needles, radio that in. We need to find out what he was given to counteract it-" 

"Will's allergic to dilaudid," Sonny said quickly. He knew he was supposed to stay out of it, but he couldn't.

They both looked at him for a moment. 

"We'll need a doctor to counteract-" the EMT started and then sighed, "Damn it," he pointed to a large bruise on Will's side. 

"What is it?" Sonny asked quickly. 

"Internal bleeding," the EMT said, "How far out?" he called.

"ETA one minute," the driver called.

The EMT sighed in relief, writing something down as they pulled into the hospital. 

Sonny watched as they took Will out of the ambulance on a stretcher and into the ER. They got inside and Sonny went to follow, but Kayla stopped him.

"Sonny, you have to stay here," she told him, "We're going to take care of him, I promise."

Sonny watched helplessly as they took Will away, "I-I..." he trailed off.

"I'm going to have someone call the station and tell them that he's here," Kayla said, "Stay right here, okay?" 

Sonny just nodded, feeling numb as he slowly sat down.

* * *

"Family of Will Horton?" Dr. Jonas walked out, "Kayla is going to tell you everything you need to know, I have another surgery booked," he told them, "Will is very lucky," he said before walking away.

Sonny stood up quickly along with Lucas, Roman, Hope, and Adrienne. 

Kayla cleared her throat as she walked over, "I need to speak with all blood relatives and his husband in private. I'm sorry, Adrienne," she told her.

Adrienne just slowly sat down, not saying a word. 

They all followed her into the private waiting room and Kayla closed the door behind her. 

"He was injected with a drug called dilaudid, which he had an allergic reaction too. It caused him to have trouble breathing, but we got the swelling down. He had internal bleeding and we had to do a surgery to cut into the area and relieve the pressure before Dr. Jonas could fix the bleed, which he successfully did," she read off the list. 

"I'm going to throw up," Lucas sat down, his head in his hands.

Hope quickly ran over, rubbing his back to try to comfort him. 

Sonny just listened. He had to be strong. He wanted to know everything that Will was going through so he could take care of him. He had to be the strong one right now because Will needed him. 

"His head was repeatedly slammed off of a hard surface and he has a severe concussion. There were cigarette burns on his body, which we treated the best he could, along with any scratch marks that were too deep," Kayla swallowed, taking a deep breath, "His nose is not broken, surprisingly. There are going to be bruises around his neck," she told them, "Don't be alarmed when you see them, we know they're there," she cleared her throat, "This led us to believe that there was a sexual assault, which we later confirmed," she explained, "We're running the usual blood tests now and we have him sedated for a while and he should wake up by morning. Will is extremely lucky to be alive." 

Sonny swallowed, running his hands through his hair, "Okay," he whispered, "Okay, okay, okay," he told himself before looking at Kayla, "What am I going to need to do?" he asked.

"Sonny..." Kayla trailed off and then put on the best smile she could, "We'll sit down and talk about this before Will checks out, okay?" 

Sonny just nodded, sitting down.

"I'll make sure his room is all set up and then you can see him," Kayla said, "I'm going to have to recommend one visitor at a time for now, so the nurses won't have too many people in their way. They're going to be checking on him periodically." 

Sonny nodded again, watching her walk out. The minute she walked out, Sonny stood up and kicked one of the chairs over.

"SONNY!" Roman yelled, "Hey, calm down!" 

"Didn't you hear anything she just said?!" Sonny yelled at him, "He could have died! Because of my family!" he yelled again, "UNCLE VIC IS THE CAUSE OF ALL OF THIS! MY STUPID LAST NAME IS THE CAUSE OF ALL OF THIS!" 

"Sonny, you need to take a breather," Hope told him quickly, still trying to comfort Lucas.

"You're right," Sonny said, "I need a breather. So does Will and Ari. We'll take a fucking breather, we'll take one from this psychotic town!" he yelled before walking out and slamming the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonny walked into the room slowly and froze up when he did.

Will was cleaned up now. The blood was gone from his face but the bruises were still there. His arms had bandages all around them and there were bruises around his neck.

"It's okay," Melanie encouraged him quietly as she came in to check his vitals. Sonny walked in slowly and walked close to the bed. He gently leaned down and kissed his cheek, "I don't know if you can hear me...but I love you," he whispered to him, "When you're okay to travel...we're going to go on a vacation, okay? You, me, and Ari...just how it should be, right?"

Silence. Sonny didn't expect an answer.

"A-And we're going to relax," Sonny told him quietly, "We can even go to another country...we could go to Greece. I know a small place there...it has a nice beach and it's close to Athens," he smiled, "We have a beach house there. It's where I always wanted to go for our honeymoon."

Silence.

"I love you, Will," Sonny whispered, "I'm never leaving you alone again. Ever. I love you too much to let you go. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that."

Silence.

Sonny sat down in the chair and rested his head on the mattress, "I'm not leaving until you wake up, okay? You need to wake up...for me and Ari. We're lost with out you."

* * *

Will stared down at his body with Sonny beside it. He was internally freaking out. He could see his body...was he dead? But the heart monitor was beeping...

"Wow," Will said quietly, looking at the bruises on his body. He looked down at himself...he looked perfectly fine. 

"It's because you're not in your body," a woman's voice said quietly. 

Will whipped around and let out a shocked yelp. He put his hand over his mouth in shock.

"Do you know who I am, Will?" the woman in the doctor's coat asked. 

Will took a shaky breath, "You're Lexie Carver...and you're dead. Oh my god, I'm dead," he choked out, "I died? From that?!" he yelled. 

"You aren't dead!" Lexie said quickly, "But you have a choice." 

"What choice?" Will demanded, taking a deep breaths. 

"You can stay or you can go," Lexie whispered. 

Will blinked in shock, "You're asking me to choose? If I want to live or die?" he choked out. 

"Yes," Lexie said, "The choice is yours, Will. But you need to make it soon. When the sedatives wear off...you'll wake up. But if you choose...the alternative, then you'll die. But you have until the sedatives disappear in the morning." 

Will swallowed, "I..." he trailed off, "Of course I want to live..." he whispered.

"You don't sound sure," Lexie told him. 

"Why haven't you made a choice?" Will changed the subject, "You're still here and you died years ago." 

"Because I loved this hospital," Lexie told him, "And I help people like you make your choices. I always wanted to help people and I'm still doing that now."

Will swallowed, looking down, "I've just...messed up so much," he whispered. 

"Will," Lexie put her hands on his shoulders, "Do you know anything about me?" 

Will looked away awkwardly, "Well, my mom is Sami Brady, so of course I know," he mumbled, "You had a lot of affairs."

"You're right, I did," Lexie said, "And...when I saw Sonny...and saw you talking to him...I saw how guilty you were. You aren't like me, Will. I regretted it but I did it again and again...you on the other hand, won't do it again." 

Will swallowed, "Did you talk to Sonny...when he was stabbed?" 

"He thinks I was just a dream," Lexie said, "The moment I asked my question he said yes."

"Oh," Will whispered. 

"But that shouldn't effect your decision," Lexie told him, "The decision is yours. You can choose to stay here...or move on." 

Will swallowed, "Is heaven real?"

"I can't tell you that," Lexie told him. 

Will rubbed his arm awkwardly, watching Sonny. He froze when he walked out, "Hey, he said he wasn't leaving." 

"You can follow him," Lexie told him, "He just can't see you." 

Will stared at her for a moment before running after him. He found him in the waiting room, getting coffee. He swallowed when he saw Paul come in, "That son of a bitch," he snapped. 

Lexie appeared beside him, "Yeah...I don't think I like him too much." 

Will glanced over at her, still freaking out that there was a _dead woman_ beside him. He watched as Sonny stared at Paul in the room.

"I'm sorry," Paul told Sonny, "For everything that's happening to Will."

Sonny put his cup down, "I just...I don't know how to deal with this," he choked out.

Paul pulled Sonny into a hug.

"I want to see my daughter," Will whispered, "Can I leave the hospital?" he asked. 

"No," Lexie said quietly, "I'm sorry." 

Will took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, trying to think, "I..." he trailed off, "I don't know," he told her, "How long do I have?" 

"Approximately two hours," Lexie told Will. 

Will swallowed, mumbling under his breath as he watched Paul comfort Sonny, "Okay...Ari would...have better fathers. She wouldn't have a screw up for one..." he trailed off, watching as Sonny walked out. He followed him back to the room as he continued to talk, "Paul has a lot of money and could provide..." 

"You really should stop talking to yourself," someone commented.

Will screamed when he saw EJ.

EJ winced, "There's no need to break my eardrums, William." 

"You stay the hell away from me!" Will yelled. 

"So you see my dead sister and you're perfectly fine but the moment you see me you start screaming?" EJ demanded. 

"YES!" Will snapped, taking a step back, "I thought..." he trailed off and then swallowed. 

"You thought what exactly?" EJ asked. 

"I just...I thought you might be..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. 

"Oh, you think because my father fakes his death, that I would be doing the same thing?" EJ asked, "William, I was attacked. I died. I wouldn't have been able to lay there while your mother cried like that." 

Will nodded, looking away.

EJ laughed quietly, "Do you miss me, William?" 

"No, just..." Will huffed, "You're infuriating," he muttered, crossing his arms. 

"You do miss me," EJ laughed, "Well, that's sweet," he told him, "So...have you made your decision?"

"Can you send Lexie back now?" Will asked, rolling his eyes, "Are you stuck here because demons can't go to heaven?"

"Oh, you're so funny," EJ said sarcastically, "I'm here because my sister is here." 

"I figured you'd be in hell with the rest of your family," Will mumbled. 

"Oh, you seem to have firm beliefs those places exist," EJ chuckled. 

Will swallowed, "Do they?" 

"William, you know those questions are mysteries and always will be," EJ said seriously, "No one knows. No one knows if anything lays beyond death. I can't tell you that." 

Will looked down and watched as Sonny sat down beside his body again, "If I left Ari with Sonny and let him be with Paul...he'd have a good life," he whispered.

"But Arianna is also _your_ daughter," EJ said, "I'm not supposed to give you my opinion, but you're being an idiot." 

Will rolled his eyes, "And so you've told me most of my life."

EJ rolled his eyes right back, "William, Sonny loves you. Arianna loves you. You're making a mistake if you choose to leave them." 

Will swallowed, staring down at his body, "I'm scared, EJ," he told him quietly. 

"Of what? Of Paul? Have I taught you nothing?" he demanded, "Do whatever it takes to get what you want! Get Paul out of town. I've already seen you doing it. If you weren't such an idiot then you would have put the pieces together correctly." 

Will glared at him. 

"But still, a good attempt," EJ said, "Much better than your last one with me. The next time you blackmail someone you may actually succeed."

Will swallowed, "Paul is going to stay in town when he finds out that John is his father." 

"Most likely," EJ told him, "But Sonny loves you...this has opened his eyes. He's not going to leave you now."

"It took me almost dying and being tortured for him to realize that!" Will yelled, "How is that love?!" 

"It is love!" EJ yelled at him, "You bloody idiot, he loves you. YOU, William. Not that baseball playing so-called saint."

Will looked down.

"If I was there I would have had him out of town by now but I'm not there to clean up after you or help you anymore," EJ said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not."

"I guess you were right," Will laughed quietly, "Maybe I do miss having you around, EJ."

EJ pursed his lips and nodded. He sighed, "I'm not allowed to leave Salem. How is your mother?" 

Will smiled nervously, "She has a boyfriend."

"I figured," EJ smiled slightly, "Good for her." 

Will looked down, "You really did love her, didn't you?" 

"Yes, I did," EJ nodded.

Will stared at his bruised body, "I'm scared." 

"You already said that," EJ told him.

"I'm waking up to this kind of pain," Will whispered, "I remember that man touching me...the pain of it. I don't feel any of this pain right now, but the moment I choose to live..." he trailed off. 

"You're right," EJ said, "You're going to feel the pain. But you're a strong young man, William." 

He glanced over at him, "I do miss you, you know." 

EJ nodded, "Of course you do," he said simply. 

Will hugged him quickly before pulling away, "I've made my decision."

* * *

Sonny was rubbing Will's hand, too scared to touch any other part of him in case he was hurting. He didn't know everywhere he could be hurting. He knew the serious parts...but he wasn't taking any chances. 

He kissed Will's hand softly and froze in shock when the heart monitor started beeping faster before it let out a long beep and flat lined. 

The nurses ran in and shoved Sonny back. 

"Kayla, what's happening?" Sonny asked quickly, "KAYLA?!"

"Charging...clear," Daniel was trying to get him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um...yeah, well...you see...um...see you in the next chapter, bye! *hides*


	5. Chapter 5

Sonny was leaning on the wall in complete shock when Will flat lined. The beeping seemed to just keep going as Daniel kept trying to bring him back.

"There's nothing else to do," Daniel choked out.

Sonny froze up, "What, you're going to stop trying?!" he yelled, "H-He's...He's dead?" he whispered.

"Time of d-"

The beeping started again.

"What the..." Daniel trailed off and checked Will's pulse, "We have a pulse. But the machine just..."

Will gasped for air and then blinked a few times. He was gasping a moment later, this time from pain.

"Okay, everyone just needs to step back," Daniel said quickly to all the nurses in the way. They left, except for Kayla and Sonny.

"Will, I need you to slow your breathing for me," Daniel told him, "You need to keep your heart rate normal, your body is already under enough stress."

Will just nodded, taking a deep breath in his nose and then blew it out his mouth.

"Now...what's the last thing you remember?" Daniel asked.

Will swallowed, "Neil...he was, uh...helping me."

"With what?" Sonny asked.

Will glanced up at him and then back to Daniel, "What else do you need?"

Daniel wrote something down on his clip board after he was done checking Will's pulse, "We'll let you know, Will. Your blood tests should be back soon. I need to ask you for your confirmation...were you sexually assaulted?"

Will thought about it. The answer was obviously _yes_...but did he really want Sonny knowing that?

"The silence kind of tells me the truth, Will," Daniel said.

"Will, there is nothing to be ashamed of," Kayla told him quietly, " _Nothing_ , okay?"

Will just nodded slowly and then looked at Daniel, "Yes, I was. Once. Also I have no idea where the needle came from that was on the stuff they injected me with, so just...there's that," he swallowed.

"Okay," Daniel nodded, "Is there anyone you want to see right now? Anyone you want us to call?"

Will shook his head no, "No, not right now. I think I'm good," he whispered.

"We're going to tell your family you're awake, but we'll only let Sonny in and out for now," Kayla told him. She walked over and kissed his head, "Everything is going to be okay, sweetie."

Will smiled weakly and winced at his split lip, "Thank you, Aunt Kayla," he whispered, watching her walk out. He was suddenly really interested in the color of paint on the walls and refused to look at Sonny.

"Hey," Sonny sat down on the edge of the bed, "Everything is going to be okay. I love you," he leaned down and gently kissed him.

Will blinked in shock and kissed him back meekly before pulling away, "I love you too," he smiled weakly and winced as he did, "You haven't said that to me in a while," he whispered.

"I know," Sonny whispered, "And I'm sorry I haven't told you that more," he whispered, gently touching his cheek, "All of this...realizing that I could lose you...it opened my eyes, Will. You made a mistake, but it's time to let go of our grudges. We're going to fix things now a-and I'm going to help you recover," he said quickly.

Will stared at him, "Sonny?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I want to kiss you but it really hurts to move," he whispered.

Sonny leaned down and kissed him quickly.

Will kissed back, closing his eyes. He pulled away again, taking a shaky breath.

"Will?" Sonny asked.

"Split lip," Will mumbled the excuse quietly, looking away.

"Right," Sonny sighed, "Sorry," he rubbed his arm, "I'm going to head home and check on Arianna, she was with your grandma all night. Is there anything else you need?"

"My laptop?" Will asked quietly, "And some, uh...clean clothes for when I get out of here."

"Laptop and clothes," Sonny leaned down and kissed his cheek, "Got it," he smiled, "I love you," he told him before walking out.

Will watched after him, confusion written all over his face.

* * *

Sonny was walking back towards the hospital room and froze when he saw one of Victor's men outside. It was one of the guys who found Will, Neil's brother...Damon, maybe? 

Sonny walked up, "What are you doing here?" 

"My brother wanted to see if your husband was okay," Damon said simply, "I gave him ten minutes...that was twenty minutes ago," he sighed, "He's really bad at being a serious, cold person." 

"He's Neil, of course he is," Sonny said, walking inside quickly. He froze when he saw Neil with his hand on top of Will's and saw them talking quietly.

Neil saw him there and quickly pulled away his hand, "Sonny...hi," he said awkwardly, "I was just making sure, uh...everything was okay." 

"Yeah, I'm sure you were," Sonny snapped, "Don't keep your brother waiting." 

Neil looked at Will, "Bye...see you around," he told him, walking out quickly.

Will looked up at Sonny, "Why did you do that?" he hissed.

"Because I have the stuff you wanted and a video of our daughter," Sonny walked over, "And Damon said on my way in that he gave him ten minutes." 

Will swallowed, "I never get to see Neil...and he practically saved my life. You should be grateful to him."

"I'm grateful for my uncle for hiring them," Sonny said, taking out Will's laptop and putting it on the table for him, "They were just doing their job." 

Will laughed bitterly and looked away, "It actually physically pains you if someone is interested in me, doesn't it?" 

"Well, look what you did last time someone was!" Sonny snapped. 

Will looked away quickly, losing his eyes. He looked ashamed and shocked that Sonny was bringing that up right now. After everything. After Sonny said just an hour ago that he wanted to let go of any grudges.

"I'm sorry," Sonny said quickly, "Hey...I'm really sorry, okay?"

"You don't have to be," Will swallowed, "Why are you treating me like this? A week ago you wouldn't give me the time of day." 

"I-I know and I'm sorry," Sonny said quickly, "But all of this...it's made me realize that I need you. I-I don't want you out of my sight ever again,," he swallowed, "I love you a-and we're going to get through this." 

Will stared at him and swallowed, opening his laptop. 

"I have something else for you," he said, taking out his phone as he sat on the edge of the bed. He pulled up the video and hit play. 

_ "Can you say hi to Daddy Will?" Sonny's voice came over the camera.  _

_ Ari waved as she sat on the couch, "Hi, daddy. When is he coming home?" _

_ "Well, Daddy Will is just a little sick right now," Sonny said, "Can you give me a big hug for him and tell him to get better soon?"  _

_ "Yes," Ari hugged Sonny while he was holding the phone, "Get better soon, daddy, I miss you." _

Will smiled, staring down at the picture. He wiped his eyes quickly, "Damn it, I need to get out of here," he said quietly, moving slightly and gasping in pain.

"Will, be careful," Sonny said quickly, "You have to stay a few more days for observation," he told him, "You need to heal. Ari is doing fine, I promise."

Will smiled weakly, "She's always fine with you." 

Sonny put his arm around him, "I was thinking that...when you're cleared to travel, we could take our honeymoon. Ari could come with us, of course," he explained, "There's this beach house in Greece-"

"Sonny," Will cut him off, taking a shaky breath, "A trip isn't going to solve the problems we have." 

Sonny stared at him in shock.

"And maybe nothing will," he whispered, "Especially after...what happened to me. Maybe _I_ can't ever be fixed, Sonny."


	6. Chapter 6

"It won't, you're right," Sonny said, kissing his head, "But it's a start, right? We never took our honeymoon anyways. We can get a break from all of this...from all of the drama and from..."

"Paul," Will whispered, "You can say his name, Sonny."

Sonny swallowed and nodded, putting his arm around him, "This will be good for us. You want to go, right?"

Will glanced up at him and nodded.

"I actually have a few pictures," Sonny opened his tablet and smiled, pulling up the pictures, "It's called Port Germanos," he told him, "My mom sent me some pictures she took last time we were there."

Will hesitantly put his head on his shoulder, messing with his shirt, "It seems beautiful," he said quietly.

"Yeah, it's pretty big too," Sonny explained, "It's a safe place a-and we can take Ari to see all these historical landmarks," he explained, "And it's relaxing. The perfect place for us to calm down."

Will smiled weakly, "Sounds great," he whispered.

"Sounds dangerous," someone commented.

Sonny looked at the door quickly and sighed when he saw Victor standing there, "Uncle Vic, I went there when I was five. How will it be dangerous for Ari and the two of us?"

"Do you not see what Clyde Weston did?" Victor demanded, gesturing to Will, "He could follow you. On top of that, there's that god awful rumor that Will slept with that man."

Sonny swallowed, looking away.

"My god," Victor said, "You did, didn't you?"

Will just hid his face in Sonny's neck.

"Uncle Vic, stop," Sonny said quickly, "We're working things out. He doesn't need this right now."

Will swallowed, not saying a word or looking up at Victor. He was just starting to feel like he slightly belonged in Sonny's family and now...

"He's just like his mother!" Victor snapped, "I should-"

"You should what?!" Sonny yelled, "Get him killed?! Well, you already about succeeded in that, didn't you?!" he demanded.

"Sonny, stop," Will whispered.

"No," Sonny stood up, being careful not to move Will too much, "I've had enough of this town and my family!" he yelled, "My dad is cheating on my mom, god knows what my mom is doing with Will's dad-"

"Gross," Will said under his breath.

"I'll explain later," Sonny told him and turned back to Victor, "We're getting past this...and we don't need any interference from you!" he yelled, "He is the love of my life and I am going to protect him, even if that means from you!" he snapped.

Will refused to look up.

Sonny had his hands clenched in fists and the rage was written all over his face.

"You stood up to me," Victor said, seeming slightly shocked, "I like that," he told him and then looked at Will, "You don't hurt my nephew again, you got that?"

"UNCLE VICTOR!" Sonny snapped, glaring at him.

Will just nodded slowly, looking down at his hands.

"If you're going to the beach house, I'm sending someone with you," Victor said simply, "Let me know when you want to leave," he said, walking out.

Sonny walked after him and pulled the door shut loudly behind him. He stalked over and sat down beside Will again, putting his arm around him gently.

Will closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the fact that Sonny was holding him again.

"He has a lot of nerve," Sonny said under his breath, pulling the pictures up again.

"I deserved it," Will whispered, "I deserved what happened to. It was karma. A punishment for what I've done to everyone-"

"Will!" Sonny snapped, "Don't say that!"

Will just shook his head, "I love you, Sonny," he whispered, "But it's the truth."

"I love you too. But stop talking like that," Sonny said, leaning down so he had to look at him, "Right now."

Will just swallowed, putting his head on his shoulder.

"Stop thinking like it too," Sonny mumbled, seeing the look on his face.

Will laughed quietly, looking up at him rather than the pictures.

Sonny noticed and put the tablet on the table. He put his arm around Will and rested his head on top of his.

Will closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep.

Sonny rested his eyes but didn't go to sleep. He didn't care how many people were outside watching for any sign of danger. He was going to be doing that from now on. He was going to protect Will and Ari.

No matter what.

* * *

"Just let me see my grandson!" Sonny heard yelling outside. He looked over and saw Will was still asleep and gently moved off of the bed. He slowly moved him back so he was lying on the pillows and wasnt in a position that would hurt him. He ran over to the door quickly and shut it behind him, "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded when he saw Kate and Damon. 

"I want to see Will," Kate said quickly. 

"I'm under strict orders from Mr. Kiriakis-" Damon started. 

"I don't care what orders you're under," Sonny cleared his throat, "This is my husband's room and he's going to decide who comes in and out. While he's asleep, it's up to me. Kate, you can come in," he said quickly. 

Kate glared at Damon, walking in. 

Sonny closed the door behind them.

"Look at you, taking charge," Kate told him before walking over. She took a deep breath, looking down at Will. 

Sonny took a deep breath, "It's not your fault," he told her, "You shouldn't have to stay in a relationship because you were unhappy. You had every right to break up with him." 

Kate shook her head, "He must have had people following me. The only person I told that I was thinking about breaking up with him was Billie and that was on the phone," she snapped, "I hadn't even done it yet," she said, trying to fix Will's hair, "You know, the least you could do is brush his hair," she muttered. 

"Sorry," Sonny laughed quietly.

"How bad is it?" Kate whispered.

"Bad," Sonny swallowed, "When he's allowed to travel we're taking a break to Uncle Vic's beach house in Greece." 

"Port Germanos?" Kate asked. 

Sonny nodded.

"Good, it's peaceful there," she said and leaned down, kissing Will's head, "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," she told him quietly, "So-"

"Grandma?" Will asked, waking up.

"Be careful," Sonny said quickly, helping him sit up. 

Will smiled weakly at him before looking at Kate, "Hey, grandma," he told her quietly, "How as your trip?" 

"That's the first thing you ask me?" Kate demanded, her hands on her hips, "How about a hug?" 

Will held out his arms, laughing when she hugged him, "I'm not made of glass, grandma." 

Kate sighed, pulling away, "I'm so sorry," she told him, "For everything that Clyde did because of me-"

"It's not your fault," Will said quickly, "It's Clyde's for being crazy. You didn't cause this. You should be able to break up with someone without worrying they're going to go crazy and kidnap your grandson," he laughed weakly. 

Kate sighed, "Have you told your mother?"

"I'd rather not," Will sighed, "Maybe next time I see her in person but...I don't want to worry her."

"Will, how far did all of this go?" Kate asked, "How bad are you hurt?"

Will swallowed and smiled at Sonny, "Hey, I'm actually starting to get hungry now...could you get the doctor?" 

"Sure," Sonny walked over and kissed him before walking out. 

Will watched as he stopped and talked to Damon, obviously giving him some kind of order before walking away. 

"He's so protective right now," Will said awkwardly. 

Kate sat down in the chair beside the bed. 

Will sighed, putting his head back, "I know you're waiting for an answer as to how far it went....and I think you also already know he answer too," he took a shaky breath, "I'm fine. I've come to terms...with what he did to me," he whispered.

Kate stood up and hugged him quickly, "Will, it's okay," she told him softly, rubbing his back.

Will felt his eyes fill with tears, "I tried to stop him," he choked out, "I tried so hard, I-I promise," he said before letting out a sob, "I fought until the very end a-and even when he tried again," he continued to sob, tears going down his face.

"I know," Kate rubbed his back, "Everything is okay, none of this is your fault."

"I tried so hard," Will sobbed, "I didn't want him. I was so scared," he choked out, "All I could think about was how used I was a-and how Sonny wouldn't want me anymore." 

"Oh, sweetie," Kate said, rubbing his back, "Sonny will always want you." 

"He's going to leave eventually," Will cried, "He has to. He put up with Paul but there's no way he can put up with me sleeping with some guy I didn't even kn-know," he said before choking out another sob.

"Will," Kate said, trying to calm him down, "You did not sleep with that man. He _raped_ you-"

"Don't say that," Will whispered. 

"Why?" Kate demanded, "Will, that's what he did! You need to accept it!"

"I have!" Will pulled away, tears going down his face, "I've accepted it, okay? I'm fine. I just want to forget!" he yelled.

* * *

Sonny walked up to the room and froze when he heard Will yell. He walked in quickly and saw Kate holding Will as he cried. 

Will pulled away quickly, wiping his eyes and sniffling, "I'm sorry," he said quickly. 

"It's okay," Kate smiled at him, trying to fix his hair, "I'm going to go talk to the doctors. When I come back later, I'm bringing you a hairbrush," she patted his head and walked out, closing the door behind her.

"She petted me," Will sniffled, trying to sound annoyed, "I'm not a dog."

Sonny walked over and sat beside him on the bed again, "Are you okay?" he asked quickly, "You were yelling...and you're crying." 

"I was just talking to my grandma," Will whispered, "About what happened to me."

Sonny swallowed, "You can talk to me, you know that," he whispered. 

Will smiled weakly, "I know." 

"Do you want to?" Sonny asked.

"No," Will whispered, "Not right now." 

Sonny just nodded, "When you're ready, I'm here, okay?" he asked.

Will nodded again and swallowed, "Did you see about getting me food?"

"Right, uh..." Sonny trailed off, "They said maybe soup or something would be easier on your stomach at the moment," he explained, "And I didn't know what to get you, so I just took some pictures of the stuff in the cafeteria," he explained, bringing them up on his phone. 

Will smiled weakly, watching him as he did.

"Honestly, for hospital food, it looks pretty good," Sonny rambled on, "Like-"

The door suddenly opened and two men walked in, one with a camera. 

"What the hell?" Sonny demanded, standing up. 

"Mr. Horton, can you comment on what happened to you?" the man asked. 

"No, but I can comment on what trash your magazine is," Will said, talking loudly and smirking, "If the people would like to read a good magazine, I recommend Sonix. We post the truth." 

"Classic Sonix writer, promoting their magazine and deflecting the truth," the other man said, "We just wanted confirmation that you slept with Paul Narita," he smirked, "Did you husband do this to you? He must have been pretty angry when he found out about the affair...and he's a Kiriakis." 

"Shut the hell up!" Will yelled. 

"Okay, that's it," Sonny said, "You're out. Right now." 

"Oh look, aggressive as ever," the man laughed. 

"Son of a bitch," Sonny gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to attack the guy. He wasn't normally an aggressive guy, but right now? He wanted to be.

Neil ran in, "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded. 

"He's in here accusing me of doing this to Will," Sonny snapped. 

"Are you stupid?" Neil demanded and grabbed the camera.

"Don't!" the man said quickly. 

Neil threw the camera on the floor and looked through he pieces. He smirked and held the memory chip in front of their faces and broke it in half. He smiled, "I'm watching this room right now, I suggest you leave," he said simply.

"You can't, this is a free country," the man snapped. 

Neil smirked and shoved him like he was some kind of a two year-old.

The man shoved him back.

"All I did was trip!" Neil said, "That was assault, self defense!" he said, punching him between the legs and the guy fell to the ground. 

Will and Sonny stared at him in shock.

Neil raised an eyebrow at the camera man, who ran out quickly. 

The man went to get up. 

"He's coming at me again!" Neil yelled and kicked the man in the side.

Will and Sonny winced, looking away.

Neil grabbed the man by the shirt and smiled, "I suggest you leave now...and don't publish a word about my friends over there," he pulled his jacket back, "I have a permit, but who knows...I could accidentally pull the trigger while it's aimed at you."

The man scrambled away and ran out quickly. 

Neil smiled at Sonny and Will, "That was good, right?" 

They both nodded slowly, shocked looks on their face.

"Yes!" Neil cheered, "I'm totally good at this job!" he said, running out, "Wait until I tell Damon."

Will blinked in shock, "I..." he trailed off, "He shouldn't have a gun permit."

"No, he shouldn't," Sonny sat down and looked at him, "You know I'd never hurt you, right?"

"Of course not," Will snorted, "This wasn't you. Like I said, they don't publish anything worth reading. Everything they post is hatchet jobs that are trash."

Sonny nodded, putting his arm around him, "Where were we then?" 

"Neil is crazy and shouldn't have this job or a gun permit," Will said bluntly. "No, uh...food," Sonny said, pulling the pictures up on his phone. 

Will put his head on his shoulder again, "Sonny?"

"Hmm?" he asked, looking at him.

"I can't wait to go on that trip with you and Ari," Will smiled.

Sonny smiled and kissed his cheek, "Neither can I."


	7. Chapter 7

"Did you want me to start letting people come to see you soon?" Sonny asked, rubbing his shoulder, "I'm sure your dad is anxious to see you...it made me feel better when I saw that you were okay," he explained.

Will just shrugged, still in the same position he was an hour ago; with his head still on Sonny's shoulder as he dozed in and out of sleep.

"Do you think I should?" he whispered.

"I think it will make him feel better," Sonny rubbed his arm, "But only if you want to. It's your decision, Will."

Will swallowed nervously, "I just want a few more minutes like this," he whispered, closing his eyes and leaning against him.

Sonny smiled and kissed his head, "Okay..." he trailed off and laughed quietly, "Will?" he rolled his eyes when he saw he was asleep again. He slowly grabbed his phone so he didn't wake him up and texted Lucas to come alone, then texted Damon and Neil. Damon, so he would let him in; Neil, so he wouldn't try to shoot him.

Sonny couldn't stop staring at him. He was looking better as time went by, but he knew Will was still messed up about what happened to him. Who wouldn't be?

 _I'm so glad you're okay,_ Sonny thought.

He didn't plan on letting Will out of his sight unless it was with someone he trusted for a long, _long_ time. Sonny closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It was all his fault. He let Will go off alone into the park...he let Will get involved with his family. He should have never even let him breathe the same air as his uncle, he was nothing but trouble.

His family was bad for them.

Lucas walked in the room slowly, "Hey-"

Sonny put his finger to his own lips quickly, indicating for him to be quiet.

Lucas walked over slowly and swallowed, "He's spent way too much time in this place in his life."

Sonny nodded in agreement, not saying anything as he stared down at Will.

"What happened?" Lucas asked quietly.

Sonny closed his eyes, resting his forehead on the side of Will's head, "He has to tell you. I can't violate his privacy like that," he whispered.

"Oh my god," Lucas said in shock, putting the pieces together, "That guy..."

Sonny didn't say anything.

"I have to call his mom-" Lucas started.

"No," Sonny said quickly, "He said he'll tell her himself."

Will blinked a few times when Sonny's voice got louder. He smiled weakly, "Hey, dad," he said, sitting up.

"Careful," Sonny repeated the same thing he did earlier and helped him sit up.

Will smiled at him and then looked at his dad, "So..." he said awkwardly.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Will," Lucas sighed in relief, "I thought..." he swallowed.

Will shook his head, "He wasn't going to kill me, dad...he wanted revenge too badly on Victor and Grandma Kate to do that," he pursed his lips, "He wanted them to see what he thinks they caused," he shrugged and then winced, "Ow."

"Careful," Sonny mumbled again.

Lucas watched Sonny and then looked to Will, "How are you feeling?"

"As good as I can," Will shrugged, "I'm hoping to get out of this bed soon," he grinned, "Oh, dad, we're going to Greece!" he said, sounding excited.

"You are?" Lucas asked, giving a suspicious look.

"Yeah, it's a good idea," Will shrugged, "A break from everything...and it's our honeymoon," he grinned, "Sonny, show him the pictures," he said.

Sonny smiled nervously at Lucas and pulled them up, "It's, uh...in Greece, at my uncle's beach house," he explained, "It's really safe and has a lot of room," he explained quietly, "It's beautiful and a good place to relax and recover from..." he trailed off, glancing over at Will.

Lucas nodded, "It looks good," he told him, smiling weakly, "Are you sure you guys should be traveling this soon?"

"Sonny thinks it's a good idea," Will smiled, looking up at Sonny, "And so do," he said.

"And what about Arianna? Lucas asked.

"She can come too!" Will said, grinning, "She's only ever been to the lake. She'll love the beach."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like you have it all figured out then," he said.

Will nodded quickly, holding Sonny's hand.

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" Lucas smiled at him, "Get some rest."

Will just nodded, still holding onto his hand tightly.

Lucas walked out, throwing Sonny a look as he did.

"Okay, I'm going to go and find a doctor," Sonny told Will, "I'm going to see when you can get out of here. Damon will be right outside of the door if you need something, okay?"

Will nodded, smiling at him.

Sonny kissed him quickly before walking out, smiling as he did.

Will stared after him, the confusion on his face again. He sighed, lying back in the bed and closing his eyes.

"Well, well, well," someone said, "Look who made it out alive."

Will looked up quickly and stared at Chad, "How did you get in here?" he smiled weakly.

"Eh, I told Damon I thought I saw Clyde down the hallway and he and Neil took off," Chad walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, "I've been thinking a lot about you lately, Will."

Will raised an eyebrow, "I thought it was usually about destroying Abigail and Ben?"

Chad rolled his eyes, "Well, I need a side project," he said simply, "I want to help you."

"Help me with what?" he asked.

"Your little problem with the baseball player," Chad said, "News outlets are trying to report on it, but you not saying anything has kind of stopped that," he raised an eyebrow, "So did you do it?"

"I'm not telling you that," Will said simply.

"Good job," Chad smirked, "But regardless, him being in town is bad for your marriage. I want to help you get him out."

"Look, Chad, I just...I want to get past what happened to me," he sighed, "If Paul doesn't want to get out of town, just let him. I trust Sonny," he mumbled.

"Sounds like it," Chad rolled his eyes, "But I'm going to teach you a little life lesson, kiddo-"

"I'm a year younger than you," Will muttered, "We went to school together-"

"Trust no one," Chad continued, ignoring him, "Anyone can give into temptation eventually. I like you guys together, I do...but admit it, things would be easier if we was out of town."

"We're going to Greece," Will said quietly, "He'll be gone when we get back."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Chad said, "I'll tell you what...if he's gone by the time you get back, you can march right over and tell me that you told me so and I'll owe you a drink," he told him.

Will nodded, "Okay."

"But if I'm wrong," Chad said, "I say you and me do a little team up and get him out of here," he smirked, "With my brains and money and your..." he trailed off.

Will glared at him.

"Your information from the article," Chad sighed in relief when he thought of it, "We can get the Narita family out of Salem."

"Don't you have a relationship to destroy somewhere?" Will sighed.

Chad smiled at him, "See you when you get back, Horton," he kisses his head before walking out.

Will rolled his eyes, glaring after him.

Neil and Damon ran into the room.

"He's fine," Damon sighed in relief, breathing heavily.

"You guys are literally the worst workers I have ever seen," Will said bluntly.

"At least I'm cute," Neil shrugged.

Damon glared at him.

"I'll tell you what," Will said, "You give me someone tolerable to talk to and I won't tell anyone that you left your post."

Damon raised an eyebrow, "And who did you want to talk to?"

"Me," Neil said bluntly, "Go do your job."

Damon glared at him, walking out.

"Well, I was going to say T, but you'll do," Will smirked.

Neil laughed quietly, sitting down on the chair and put his feet up on the bed, "Oh please, I knew you wanted to talk to me just by the looks you've been throwing."

Will glanced up to make sure the door was closed, "I'm just curious."

"I'm sure you are," Neil laughed quietly, "You've always been curious."

Will rolled his eyes and sighed, "It's just...last time I talked to you...you were, uh..."

"At a party having the time of my life and kissing the hottest guy I've ever met?" Neil smirked.

"I was going to say at the police station saving my ass but okay," Will blushed, "Hottest guy you've ever met?"

Neil just shrugged, looking at him.

"How did you start working for Victor?" Will whispered.

Neil sighed, "Uh...about a month after everything with you my parents died," he swallowed, "I mean, I was nineteen, but my brother moved back to town to keep an eye on me," he said quietly, "It was okay...we got by," he bit his lip, "Then the house got broken into and my brother shot the guy."

Will stared at him with wide eyes.

"I never knew what he did for a living," Neil said quietly, "Until I saw him do it. He just...looked so cold about it. He wasn't even effected that he'd just killed a guy," he took a deep breath, "I ignored it until one night at The Spot," he swallowed, "Some guy tried to rape me," he said bluntly, "He didn't get away with it because Damon showed up..." he trailed off, "He's always following me," he explained.

Will just nodded, letting him continue.

"Damon shot the guy," Neil sighed, "Later, I uh...I told him I wanted to learn how to use a gun. He started to take me to shooting ranges and I realized that I was good at it," he shrugged, "One day Victor showed up to talk to Damon while I was practicing and offered me a job."

"Wow," Will said, "So you...you kill people."

"Only the bad ones," Neil shrugged, "And mostly Damon does it. I still don't stomach it well...even the bad ones."

"Who, uh...shot the guy that was..." Will trailed off.

"Me," Neil said quietly, "Damon was going to but then I saw him on top of you and I just...I lost it," he whispered.

"Thank you," Will said quietly.

"All in a day's work," Neil tried to joke. He laughed quietly, "Think back to the night we met, did you ever think we'd end up here?"

"Honestly, I never thought you'd even talk to me after I shoved you away," Will smiled, "But no...I'd never have thought that you'd become a hitman and I'd be married at twenty-two...and...this."

"Or have a baby with your ex-girlfriend?" Neil smirked.

"Okay, yeah, rub it in," Will rolled his eyes and laughed, "I wish you could meet her. Any time I see her...any regrets I have? Out the window," he said. He went to sit up and winced, "Can you hand me my phone? I have like a million pictures."

Neil handed him his phone quickly.

"Sonny says she looks just like me but I think she looks like Gabi," Will shrugged, pulling up a picture.

"He's right, that's all you," Neil laughed quietly, "Blonde hair, blue eyes...that's you, not Gabi."

Will just shrugged, smiling down at the picture, "Do you know she's walking already? She's even started to talk a little bit. It's called Arianish."

Neil laughed quietly, "That's awesome, man," he smiled slightly.

"What about you?" Will asked, "Anyone special?"

"Still looking," Neil grinned, "Give me that guy's number who lied to us about Clyde."

"Neil, gross!" Will said quickly, "That's Chad DiMera."

"And?" Neil asked.

"Stefano DiMera's son!" Will added.

Neil shrugged.

Will groaned, "I didn't need that mental picture," he laughed, "Why do you want his number of all people?"

"He's hot and he has money," Neil smirked, "Whole package."

"That's...gross," Will sighed, "Give me your phone, I'll give you his number."

"Yes, you are the absolute best," Neil grinned, "Got any other hot friends?" he bounced his eyebrows.

Will rolled his eyes, "One, but he's dating my cousin."

"I could change that," Neil smirked.

"No, Neil," Will said quickly, handing him back his phone.

"Well, at least I got one," Neil said simply, putting his feet down and leaning on the bed, "I'm happy you're okay, Will. If you need anyone to talk to, I'm here," he put his hand on his.

"Hey, they said you could probably actually leave tomorrow..." Sonny walked in and trailed off when he saw Neil's hand on Will's.

Will looked away awkwardly and Neil pulled his hand away.

"I'll talk to you later, man," Neil smiled at Will, walking out and avoiding eye contact with Sonny.

Sonny walked over, sitting down and going silent.

"He was thanking me for Chad's number," Will whispered, "We weren't..." he swallowed, "I'm sorry, Sonny."

Sonny looked up and his eyes widened, "No, no, no, hey," he said quickly, making him look at him, "It's fine. Everything is okay," he smiled at him, rubbing his arms.

"Can you hold me again?" Will whispered.

"Yeah," Sonny smiled, standing up and slowly getting in the hospital bed beside him. He wrapped his arms around him and kissed his head.

Will closed his eyes, relaxing for now.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Two Weeks Later..._ **

"I hope Ari's ears don't bother her on the plane," Will sighed as they drove to the Kiriakis mansion.

"She'll be fine, Will," Sonny laughed quietly.

"What if we hit turbulence and she gets scared?" Will asked.

"The skies are completely clear," Sonny laughed.

"Head winds," Will said under his breath.

Sonny rolled his eyes as he pulled in, "I'll be right back," he told him, getting out of the car quickly. He ran up to the house and knocked on the door.

"Oh, Jackson," Henderson opened the door, "Come in, please."

Sonny walked in, his hands in his pockets, "I actually just need to see Uncle Vic for a minute. Ari and Will are in the car."

"He's in the living room," Henderson directed him.

Sonny walked into the living room and sighed, "Uncle Vic, we're leaving," he said, "And I wanted to tell you that I really don't think we need some bodyguard coming along with us. I know you think we do and you're probably going to send someone anyways-" he started.

"I'm not," Victor said simply.

Sonny looked confused, "What? But I thought you were worried about Clyde," he said.

"I was," Victor said, going through papers, "I'm not anymore."

Sonny stared at him, "You mean..." he trailed off, "Who did it?"

"Damon's brother, Neil," Victor said simply, "He didn't even need the order. He saw Clyde and new what I wanted him to do."

"A-Are you sure..." Sonny trailed off.

Victor nodded, "I saw it myself when he called. I went over to the place and...well," he shrugged, "There was a bullet in his head and he wasn't moving."

Sonny ran his hand through his hair, laughing in shock, "I don't know what to feel right now."

"Feel happy," Victor said simply, "The man who kidnapped and tortured your husband is dead."

Sonny swallowed, taking a deep breath, "I shouldn't be happy that someone died, Uncle Vic."

"When it's scum like him?" Victor asked, "You have every right to be happy."

"So, uh...the jet is ready then?" Sonny asked quietly, trying to change the subject.

Victor nodded.

"Thank you," Sonny whispered, "And thank Neil for me," he said, walking out quickly. He walked out to the car and got in, closing the door and sitting there.

"So, whose coming with us?" Will asked.

"No one," Sonny swallowed, "Clyde Weston is dead."

Will blinked in shock, "Oh," he said carefully. He looked over at him, "I..." he trailed off.

"It's okay to be happy," Sonny said, pulling out of the driveway and driving in the direction of the airport, "I am."

Will took a deep breath and nodded, going silent again.

"Hey," Sonny said, getting his attention, "It's okay."

Will just nodded, closing his eyes and leaning back. He didn't want to feel good about Clyde being dead, but he did. He was free from the worries that he would come back for him or Sonny.

It was the beginning of the road to recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will possibly be a sequel about Will recovering later on. I hope you enjoyed this story! More to come soon from WilSon, Backstrom, and Chicago Fire.


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